


Shaking Hands

by Rangergirl3



Series: Whumptober 2019 [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aftermath of Medical Whump, Gen, Keith (Voltron) Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-11-23 00:48:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20883422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rangergirl3/pseuds/Rangergirl3
Summary: Pidge doesn't know what she'll find in the medical experimentation room.





	Shaking Hands

With a shriek of rage, Pidge disposes of the last guard. Before the body hits the floor, she's already turned run back towards the examination table.

_Those fucking bastards._

_She wants to kill them all over again._

They'd been performing experiments on Keith for over three days.

She doesn't know how much physical damage they've done, but she shudders at the very thought of what this has been like for his mind.

He's been treated as nothing more than a lab experiment for over three _fucking_ days.

_Had he even known the other Paladins were coming for him? _

She dreads the answer.

* * *

* * *

The light over the examination table is pushed away, and the sudden decrease in brightness allows Keith to open one eye just long enough to see that someone's leaning over him.

The light glints off their glasses, and he can’t help it. 

He whimpers and tries to turn his head away, but it's impossible, because whoever this is takes hold of his face between their palms.

He starts to cry.

He can't help it.

He doesn't want to be awake for this.

* * *

_"No - please - don't - "_

_None of the scientists listen to him._

_Why should they?_

_He's not a person._

_ He's just a thing. _

* * *

But whoever this is - it's different, somehow.

Their hands are shaking.

_That's...different....why is it...different...this time..._

The people here have never hesitated before -

* * *

_Cutting him open. _

_Injecting him with drugs._

_Performing countless tests that make him scream in agony without end, until his body and mind reach their limit and he falls into unconsciousness for a time._

_They never let him rest, though. Not really._

_ "Stop! Please - **stop**!" _

_ No one cares enough to listen. _

_There's always another procedure to try, another round of tests that will make him wish he were already dead._

* * *

Keith can't tell if the pain he's feeling is from the past, or from the present. All he knows is that it hurts, and he doesn't want to hurt anymore.

The person standing next to him might be different, but he still - he still doesn't want to get hurt again.

They haven't hurt him yet, but it's just a matter of time.

That's the one thing that always, _always_ stays the same. 

They _always_ end up hurting him.

* * *

* * *

Pidge doesn't know what to do or say to make this any better.

Matt's on his way with the high-security code they'd found.

It's the only way to get these cuffs off of Keith's wrists and ankles without detonating the fail-safe protocols.

Pidge had run up on ahead of the rebel group.

She hadn't even thought twice about it.

The plan had been to storm this room as a united front, both rebels and the other Paladins, but...

She'd just...

She'd seen the video logs of what was going on here...and...

And she hadn't been able to stick to the plan.

Not when her friend was being tortured every minute of every day.

So, when the opportunity presented itself, she'd simply charged ahead of the group and laid waste to whatever, or whoever, was between her and her friend.

To put it simply, she'd gone full 'Leroy Jenkins'. 

_That's funny. Sort of._

Pidge sniffs, scrubbing at her eyes. It's no good. She still feels like crying, especially because Keith still hasn't realized it's her, and not some sick scientist bastard who's about to stab needles into his arm or perform other tests that are horribly barbaric.

* * *

* * *

Keith's eyes still ache from the lights, so he decides its best to just keep his eyes closed until he doesn't have a choice.

He stays that way, even when the person holding his face between their hands asks him if he's all right.

It's the first time anyone here has asked him that, but he doesn't believe that it's a genuine inquiry.

_He knows full well that his wellbeing doesn't matter to these people._

_They've made that abundantly clear._

**Author's Note:**

> It's Whumptober!!!! A whole 31 days worth of whump!!! :D
> 
> Comments are much loved and always make my day!! <3 <3 <3 Kudos make me smile :-)


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